The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Malus of hybrid origin and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Bailears’. ‘Bailears’ is a deciduous tree grown for use as an ornamental landscape plant.
The new cultivar, ‘Bailears’, was discovered as a whole plant mutation in 2004 by the Inventors in a trial garden at a nursery in New Haven, Ind. The parentage is unknown. The cultivars ‘Louisa’ (not patented) and ‘Prairiefire’ (not patented) are probable parents based on their characteristics and their proximity to the new cultivar in the trial garden.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by budding onto Malus columbia rootstock under the direction of the Inventors in 2007 in St. Paul, Minn. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.